Crossing the Channel: Your Guide to Flying to France
Documents and Licences
Pilot Licence
LAPL Holders, Important
The LAPL (Light Aircraft Pilot Licence) does not permit international flight. It is valid only within the United Kingdom. If you currently hold a LAPL and wish to fly to France, you must first obtain a full UK Part-FCL PPL. Speak to our training team about the conversion process, it's typically straightforward if you already have LAPL experience.
Medical Certificate
Passport
Documents Checklist, Before You Fly
- UK Part-FCL PPL (NOT LAPL, LAPL is UK-only and not valid for international flights)
- Flight Radiotelephony Operator's Licence (FRTOL), current and valid
- Class 2 medical certificate minimum, check expiry date well in advance
- Valid passport for all persons on board, required since Brexit
- Aircraft Certificate of Airworthiness, registration, and insurance documents
- Completed GAR form submitted at least 2 hours before departure
The GAR Form
GAR Submission Tip
Submit your GAR form online the evening before your planned flight. This gives you well over the two-hour minimum requirement and means one fewer task on departure day. Save or screenshot the confirmation, you may be asked for it at either end of your journey. Remember you'll need a separate GAR for the return leg.
Customs Aerodromes
Denham Is Not a Customs Aerodrome
Denham Aerodrome (EGLD), our home base at HQ Aviation, does not have customs facilities. You cannot depart directly from Denham on an international flight. Instead, plan to route via a customs aerodrome such as Lydd or Biggin Hill. Many of our pilots fly from Denham to Lydd first, clear customs, and then continue across the channel.
Life Jackets and Safety Equipment
Filing a Flight Plan
Planning the Route
UK Departure
The Crossing Itself
Mid-Channel Radio
Be prepared for a brief period of reduced radio coverage mid-channel. Maintain your last assigned squawk code and continue on your planned track. If you lose contact entirely, continue the crossing and re-establish communications as you approach the French coast. Monitor 121.500 MHz (emergency frequency) if you have a second radio. The gap is typically brief and nothing to worry about, but it's worth being mentally prepared for it.
French Destinations
Le Touquet (LFAT)
Calais-Dunkerque (LFAC)
Abbeville (LFOI)
Customs and Border Procedures
Arriving in France
Returning to the UK
Fuel Planning
Fuel Planning Best Practice
Always calculate fuel for the complete round trip before departure, including reserves and an allowance for holding or diversion. Even if your aircraft has the range, consider refuelling in France, it removes fuel anxiety from the return leg and gives you maximum flexibility if plans change. Check fuel availability and pricing at your French destination before you go.
Weather Considerations
Channel Weather Changes Fast
The channel's weather can shift dramatically within an hour. What looks like a clear crossing window can close rapidly as sea fog rolls in or a front arrives earlier than forecast. Always have a "no-go" decision point before you leave the coast, and don't be afraid to use it. A night in Le Touquet because the weather closed in is an inconvenience. Pressing on into deteriorating conditions over open water is genuinely dangerous.
Practical Tips for Your First Crossing
Use SkyDemon
Check NOTAMs Thoroughly
Consider an Instructor Checkout
Timing Matters
Currency and Practicalities
First Crossing Essentials
- Fly with an instructor or experienced pilot for your first crossing, it transforms the experience
- Choose a day with excellent weather, 10 km+ visibility, high cloud base, light winds
- Use SkyDemon for flight planning, filing, and in-flight navigation over water
- Submit your outbound and return GAR forms in advance, don't leave it to the last minute
- Depart from and return to a customs aerodrome, Lydd is the most popular choice
- Carry life jackets and WEAR them for the overwater portion, this is a CAA requirement
- Brief your passengers thoroughly on overwater procedures and life jacket use
- Have a clear no-go decision point and be prepared to turn back if conditions deteriorate
The Experience Awaits
"My first channel crossing was the flight that made me feel like a real pilot. All those hours of training, all that study, it all came together in one extraordinary trip. I landed in France, had the best steak-frites of my life, and flew home grinning. I've done it a dozen times since and it never gets old." <br /><br />, HQ Aviation Client